Storage battery



G. WHEAT.

STORAGE BATTERY. APPLICATTGN FILED Aue.6, 1919,.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.r

G. WHEAT.

STORAGE BATTERY.

v APPLICATION FILED AUG.6, |919. 1,889,17l. PatentedAug. 30,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\ .uru'rflaov [STATES PATE-N TgY-*o FF 1C Elf' GRANT wnnAT,.or MAnLnono, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNoRTokonnLnn'mAnuagA TURING coMrANr, ormAnLBono, MASSACHUSETTS, A conoaATroN or MASSA- cnUSETTS.

` ToaZZ/ whomz't may concerti.:

Be 1t known that I, GRANT WHEAT, a

tain Improvements in torage Batteries, of whichthe following description, in connection-with the accompanying drawings, is alike reference characters! on specification,

indicating like parts in the the drawings several iigures. This inventionrelates toelectric storage batteries and is concerned particularly'with the light weight battery carriedbyQ minersv for lighting an electric lamp mounted onthe miners ca p,`

although the invention is not limited in its application to this particular type of batte ry t 20 vThe invention will be' hereinr dlsclosed as applied to the form of apparatusillustrated in my pending application, Serial No. 101,- 437, iled June 3, 1916, for imprvementsin electric lamp' lighting devices. This appaice, a particular advantage from the standpoint of the tinues to light the 'lamp when turned into an inverted or any other position.- The presentinventionr aims partlcularly to improve and perfect this battery with' a view toI avoiding any possibility of leakage of the electrolyte, securing greater economyl in the manufacture and'asse'mbling of the battery, facilitating repair, and generally improving the construction and operation of this type of apparatus. g Important features of the invention reside inthe means for sealing the opening in the battery casing, a novel arrangement for sealing the battery leadsin place, and in a non-spillable ventfor the battery. These, and other features of the invention, will be readily understood from thefollow- -ing description when read in connection with the accompan l novel features will be pointed'out more particularly in the appended clalms.

STORAGE BATTERY.

Specification of Letters Patent. i

portable type of storage ratus has" proved very satisfactory kin serv? miner or other user being that the\battery.remains in loperation and con# which the connections are made ying drawings and the Patented Aug.

'Anulication illedlAugust` 6,51919. Serial No. 31`5,684.

Referring now to the accompanying draw* `1n s,14

1gure 1 1s `a side elevation,` partly in cross-section, of a battery embodying the presentinventiong.-

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross'section'alview of' the battery shown in Fig.

l 1s la planviewof theeonstruction shown in Fig. 1 with the cover plate at the` upper 4part of the casing removed;

Fig. 4 y

means forA thegstorage battery casing;v

inFig;4;\ Fig. 6 isa vertical cross-sectional view of one of the cover plates `shown in Fig. 4);. Fig. 7 is a 'plan view of the party shown inFig.6; Y Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the rubber gasket used in 'sealing the casing; v p

Fig.`9 -is a vertical cross-sectional view of the upper cover plate;

Fig. 10 l's av vertical cross-s of one -part of the vent;

v Fig. 11 is a side elevation of one of the Screwsused to secure the cover plates together; v Figs. tional parts of the vent device; and

Fig. 14 isa perspective view of the electrode stem Showing where vit' passes through the. gasket.

The construction shown comprises a container-or casing 2 in which the. battery elements 'are located, and` a top 3 through battery to the cable 4 containing the conductorsfthatcarry the current to, the electric lamp or other device supplied lby the elements to forma battery. VTlese elements comprise a'fsuitable set of gridsor plates 6" with their separator's'andanelectrolyte, v l"either acid or alkallne depending ony the.; l

is a vertical cross-sectional view.. through the ventv device and the vsealing Fig. 5 is a plan view of the vparts shown.

ctional view" the shapevof this'part from the vshow'rnfis provided with two vcompartments or'cells separated by a cen-4 Y 'will be described.

The casing is open at its top andthe cell y preferably is of substantially uniform dimens'ions throughout its heightso nthatth'e plates or grids can be insertedor removed ,i through the open end. It isnecessary to seal this open end securely against the leakage of the electrolyte 'since when the battery is in use it is frequently inverted and ably soft rubber.v

turned into various otherl positions. One o frthe novel 4features of this inventlon con- I s1st`s in the sealing means for this open'end.

This sealing means comprises a gasket 8, of the form best illustrated in Figs. 5 and 8, made of some ,yielding material, prefer- This gasket has an outline corresponding to the outline of the opening in the casing into which it is to be placed and lit is provided with inwardly tapered inner wallscthat fit between Ithe margins of Vupper and lower cover plates designated at 9 and 10, respectively. The

Y upper'plate 9 is provided with two` holesx 11,' Fig. 9, to receive screws 12 that pass freely plate and are threaded, into sockets extending into, but not through, the lower cover plate 10. In assembling the parts the two cover plates 9 and 10 are through the upper Vsecured loosely together by. the screws v'12 with the lgasket'8between the plates and these parts are then placed in'their operative positiohs in the vupper end of'the lcell in the casing.2. The screws 12 are thenV i turned down tightly thus forcing the plates .9 and 10 together and causing them, through their engagement with the tapered surfaces of thegasket 8, toexpan'd this gasket into firm engagement with the walls of the openingin'the casing. -The head of each cated at"14, to receive a Spanner wrench to facilitate the operations. of tightening or. loosening the screws.

. elongated in horizontal cross-section at the points'where they pass 'through the gasket,

as best illustrated-,in Fig 14, and they taper 0H to..points at the oppsite ends of the cross-sectional outline so that their longestdimension extends ina direction parallel to r 'i the adjacent wall of the openingl in the cas-4 screw 12v preferably is'drilled, las ,indi-. suitable material 26 .the center of volumeof the lower end ofthe ,u

ing. Consequently, when the cover plates 9 and 10 are forced together by .threading in the screws 12, the compressive action exerted on vthe gasket 8 tends to squeeze the' gasket tightly againstthe opposite walls oi f.

would tenol to leave small spaces between the conductor and the gasket at opposite sides of the conductor and that the acid vmifrht escape through these spaces.

- miners electric lighting outlit, of the type above referred to, usually comprises a storage battery ofthe general type illus` trated herein, a lamp fixed to the miners cap and a cable connecting the electric lamp with the battery. The battery usually is strapped to a miners belt and consequently 1t is tipped into various positions and the acid in the casing is continuously slopped around` as the miner moves. It is necessary to provide some kind of a vent for the gas generated inthe battery and it` has proved very diiiicult to devise a satisfactoryl vent that would not` permit the escape of the acid when the casing was inverted or turnedinto various other positions While in use and during which, consequently, the acid is. splashed around within the casing.

The present Vinvention provides a very effective vent device which answers the prac tical requirements for this ytype ofl apparatus. Thisconstruction is best illustrated in Figs. 4, 6 and 10A from which it will be seen thatthe vent device comprises'an outertube 20 integral with the lower cover plate 10 and an inner tube 21 having a reduced upper end that lits snugly in a hole 22 formed in the Icover plate. A shoulder 23, Fig. 10, abuts against the lower face of the cover"plate- 10 and determines the position of the inner tube relatively to the cover plate partition 24 and a disk 25 sealed 'into the lower end ofthe tube 20 by some such, for instance, as divides the space between the 21 into an upper chamber 27 chamber 28.

sealing wax, tubes 20and and a lower and enter` the bottom of the chamber 28. A tortuous passage or duct 30 .inthe lower Holes 29 are` drilled through the tube 20 at its lower end' part of the tube 21 leads from .a point adja' p cent to the center of volume of the chamber 28 into the lower end of the chamber 27, and asimilar duct 31 leads from approximately upperv chamber 27 to a vpoint' outside the casing.

' e parts are tube 20 lies substantially at aso proportioned that the the center of volumeof the acid receiving -space in the casing, and the casing is filled 'with liquidto a point below the center of` volume of said space. Consequently,-the only -openings in the tube 28 are located very close A to the center of volume of the acid containing space, and it is therefore impossible for the liqu-id to cover any of these openings when the casing is inverted, or to cover more than one lof them when the casing is in anyother position. Afree passage for the escape of gases thus is afforded in all positions of the' battery through the holes 29, chamber 28, duct 30, chamber 27 and duct 31 tothe outer atmosphere. These parts -normally are l cooler than the electrolyte so that lany particles of acid entrained with the gas will be condensed. and trapped during the travel' through the` vent ,device and such liquid obviously can drain freely back into the casing y a's soon as the Abattery 1s returned to its norshaking,

mal pri'ghtfposition. l

Ifyduring the time that the battery is inverted or is in some other intermediate po' sition, it should be subjected to' vigorous thus splashing the acid violently .in the casing, a small amount of this acid might be splashed through the holes 29 into the chamber 28.v In order, however, for this acid to escape out'of the casingit will be neces:

sary for this `splashing to continue long n enough to more than halfill the chamber 28 so that it'could escape from this chamber into the chamber 27 and then to lill the latter chamber to such a ointthat it could splash.,

into the duct 31. uchl a condition obviously would never arise in the actual'use of the apparatus and would only be brought about y is non-spillable.

by persistent effort directed to the idea of working liquid through the vent. ,From

an operating standpoint, therefore, this vent It should be particularly g noted that it comprises two traps that are in series with each other so that the liquid must travel through bot-h traps in order to escape from the casing.

Inasmuch as the lower cover plate 10 is imperforate except for the hole through which the upper -end of the tube 21 projects,

and since this tube fits tightly in this hole,

the liability of leaks developing through the sealing means is reduced to a minimum:y

, In assembling the vent device the tube 21 is forced into the cover plate 10 until the shoulder 23 brings up against the'lower side of the plate. The partition 24 is" then forced on to the-lower end of the tube 21 untilvit strikes the shoulderp 32." The lower end of the hole drilledinthe tube 21- to form a part of the' duct -30 isl then plugged with Asome suitable materiaL-such as sealing wax; the vdisk 25 is next forced into the lower e'nd of the outer/tube 20 until it abuts against the 'end of the'inner tube 21, and the sealing wax or other material 26 is then run into place to secure the disk 25 permanently in Said position. The ducts'3() and 31 in the tube 21 can conveniently rbe formed by drilling before 'the assembling operation is begun.

If desired a filling opening 34 may be formed in the side of the casing and normally closed by a screw threaded plug 35.

The top 3 lis similarto that disclosed in my pending application, above designated, and it is held in its operative position onv the casing 2 by the engagement on one' side of a beading 36,l Fig. 2, with a grooved portion 37 atthe top, and on the other side by a cover 38'having its upper edge provided with a similarbead andfengaging a part 39 on the cover similar to the part 37. This cover overlies the plug 35 for the filling opening and it is securedA in its operative-position by` a screw projecting horizontallyv through a hole) 30 inthe cover and into a boss cast on the side of the casing 2. The parts 2, 3 and 38 may all conveniently be made of vulcanite.,

orY some similar material, that can be molded to the desired shape `and is a non-conductor of electricity.

The top 3 is provided with a iaring opening 42 into which the cable 4 is led and the cable is turned abruptly at the inner end. of the opening 42 in the manner illustrated at 43 in Fig. 1. The conductors in the cable are led to suitableI binding posts 44 and 45,

to which also the terminals of the battery are connected, these terminals being led throughY` apertures formed for them in thev top 3. A key operated switch 46 located in the top 3 is connected with the conductors in such a manner as to/cont'rol the flow of current from the battery to the conductors :in

the cable 4. The two cells of the battery shown are connected in series. Y

In order to facilitate assembling the cable inthe position shown and securing the part 43 in the positionillustrated in Fig. 1,*the

top 3 is provided with a threaded plug 48 having holes to receive a Spanner wrench, this plug being located at the inner `end of the opening 4 2. A cover plate 50 closes the opening in which the' binding posts 44 and 45 and certain of the connectlons leading to them and to the switch 46 are located, this plate having a dove-tail joint 51 at one end and being secured at its opposite endby a ico exposed contacts 54y and 55 connected to conyielding expanding said gasket int in horizontal cross-section in a 4direction.

. opposite ends of said cross-section,l whereby y, gasket will 5. A storage battery, having, in combinatacts secured tothe lower side of the cover in position to engage the bindingiposts 441and 45. These exposed terminals are used in charging the battery to makecontact with terminals leading from the source of current that is utilized in. charging. rTh switch 46 also controls the connections between the charging terminals 54 and 55 and the battery.

What it claimed as new, is:

l. A storage battery, having, in combination a casing provided with an open end battery elements located in said casing, an

a seal for said open end comprising a yielding gasket positioned in said end, upper and lower cover plates having marginal portions bearing on said gasket, and screw threaded means for forcing said plates -toward each other to expand the gasket into firm engagement with the walls of said open# ing, said screwv threaded means vextending' into, but not through, said lower cover plate.

2. A storage battery, havingfin combina# tion a casing provided with an open end, battery elements located in said casing, and a seal'for said open inggasket positioned in said end, upper and lower cover plates having marginal portions bearing on said gasket, and screws extending through said upper coverl plate into the lower cover plate and operative to force said plates toward each other to expand said gasket into firm engagement with the wallsv said lower cover plate havof said opening, ing sockets to receive said screws, which sockets extend into, but not through, said lower cover plate.

3. A storage battery, tion, a casing provided with an open'end, battery elements located in said casing, a yielding gasket in. said opening, means for expandingv saidv gasket into firm engagement with the walls of said vopening to close the opening, and lelectric vconductors for said battery .elements .extending through said gasket. l l

4. Astorage battery, tion, a casing provided battery elements located having, in combinahaving, lin combinawith, an open end, lin said casing, a gasket in said opening, means for 4o rm engagement with the walls of said ,opening to close-the opening, and a `conductor for one of said battery elements extending through said gasket, the part of said conductor/that ex'- tends through said gasketibeing elongated parallel to the adjacent wall of said opening and tapering substantially to a point at 'said expanding action on the tend to maintain tight connection Ibetween the gasket and said conductor.

-sald gasket.

end comprising a yield-A filling Aless than half including a yielding gasket andmeans for compressing-X said gasket, and an electric conductor extending through said' gasket, said conductorhaving a cross-section where it passes throng compressiony on thek gasket to maintain `a tight connection between said conductor and 6. A storage battery, having, in combination, a casing provided with an open end, battery elements in said casing, a cover plate for said opening in the lcasing, a gasket coperating with ,said cover plate ,and casing to form a tight joint therebetween, and a vent device carriedV by said cover plate, said cover plate being imperforate except for said vent.`

f.7. A storage battery, having, in'combination, a casing, battery -elements located in sa1d casing, said elements lincluding yan acid filling less than half of the space therefor in said casing, and a vent device having a tortuous passage leading into said acid space from a point outside the casing and openin into` saidl space only at a point or points adjacent o to the center of volume of said space, whereby said vent device aiords a :free passa e for the escape of gases in all positions o said casing. I y

/8. A storage battery, having, in 'combination, a casing,^ battery elements located in said casing, said elements including an acid filling less thanhalf of the space therefor in said casing, and a rvent device provided with a chamber communicating with the acid vspace in said casing only at a point or points adjacent to the center of volume of said space, said vent device also having a passage leading from a point outside the casing and opening into center of volume.' Y

9. A storage battery, having, incombination.; a casing, battery elements located in said casing, said elements including an'acid of the space therefor 1n sald casing,'and aj'vent device provided withtwo chambers, one above the other, the lower chamber communicating with the acid receiving spacein said casing at a point or points near the said chamber near its center of volume of'saidl h' said gasket enabling the i' space, said upper chamber communicating with the outside atmosphere, said chambers being in communication with eachother.

l ]&0A 'storage battery, having-in 'combin nat1on, a casing, battery elements located in sa1d casing; said elements-including an acid filling less than half in said casing, and a vent device/comprising two tubes, one encircling the other, means dividing the space-between. said tubes into two chambers and both of i of the space thereforA in communication with each 130` other through the inner tube, said outer tube in said casing.

travel through both of said traps.

having an opening therein adjacent to the center of volume of the acid receiving space 11. A storage batteryrhaving, in combination, a casing, battery elements located in said casing, said elements including an acid lilling less than half of the space therefor in said casing, a vent device comprising two tubes projecting into 'the casing, one tube encircling the other, means dividing the space between said tubes into upper and lower chambers, the lower chamber being in communication with said space adjacentI to the center of volume of said space, said inner tube providi-ng communication between the two chambers-and between said chamber and the outside atmosphere. 12. A storage battery', having, in combination, a casing, 'battery elements located in said casing, `said elements including an acid filling less than half of the space therefor in' said casing, a vent device 'comprising two tubes projecting .into the casing, one tube encircling the other, means dividing the space between said tubes into upper and lower chambers,` the outer tube being imperforate except at its lower end, and the inner tube providing communication betweenthe outer atmosphere and a poi-nt near the center ofthe upper chamber and between the bottom of the upper chamber and a point near the center of the lower chamber.

13. A storage battery, having, in combi/ nation, a casing, battery elements located in said casing, said elements including an acid filling less than half of the space therefor in said casing, and a vent device provided with two chambers and containing ducts cooperating with said chambers to "form two traps in series with each other whereby gas escaping from said acid space is obliged to 14. storage battery, having, in combination, a casing, battery elements located in said casing, said elements includingJ an acid lilling lessthan half of the space therefor in said casing, and a vent device projecting into the acid containing space in said casing and provided with two traps arranged one above the other inseries with each other, the upper trap being arranged to drain into the lower one and the lower 'trap arranged to drain into said space when the device is in an upright position. Y 15. storage battery, having, in combination, a casing, battery elements locatedv in said casi-ng, said elements including an acid lilling less than half of the space therefor in said casing, means including a cover plate for' closing the opening in said casing, and a vent device comprising two tubes projecting into said casing, one tube encircling the other, the outer tube being integral with said cover plate, and means coperating with said tubes to form therewith a trap affording a free passage for the escape of gases, but trapping through when the casing is inverted.

. 16. A storage battery, having, in combination, a casing, battery elements located in said casing, said elements including an acid filling less than half of the space therefor in said casing, means including a cover plate for closing the opening in said casing, and, a vent device comprising two tubes projecting into said casing, one tube encircling the other, the outer tube being integral with said cover plate, said inner tube projecting through said cover plate and forming a tight joint therewith, and partitions dividing the space between said tubes into upper and lower chambers, the lower chamber being in communication with the acid containing space in said casing, and said tube providing communication between vsaid chambers and between the upper chamber and the atmosphere.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to `this specification.

GRANT WHEATi y liquid tending to escape there 

